Men and women alike are imprisoned by stereotypes. There is an ideal image that has been set by today’s society for each gender, constantly pressuring individuals to change who they are to be something or someone they are not. This involves all mental and physical aspects of life for both male and females. Typically, males are thought of as strong, emotionless leaders, while females are called upon to cater to and support males. In the documentary Pornland, the idea of girls choosing to be either “fuckable vs. invisible” is presented. With this, there really is no choice for females. Porn culture has shaped the mind of boys and men, starting as early as age 11, to think of women through a lens focused on sex. Porn, as the documentary describes, defaces and dehumanizes women, and is progressively getting more and more violent. Porn takes away of freedom of creating our own sexuality, for both male and females.

The documentary Guyland discusses the transition from boyhood to manhood. As times have changed, a new stage of development, between adolescence and adulthood, has developed: adultolescence. Whereas in the past people would go straight into the workforce, the transition is now noted to take at least a full decade longer with education, marriage, children, moving, and job finding, as well as a heavy dependency on parents. With this new stage, women have stood up for themselves, become key members of the work place, giving themselves new identities and conquering the traditional, modest stereotypes that have been placed for decades. For men, ideas of masculinity have not changed. With this comes hazing and other methods to “prove” one’s manliness to other men. There’s a constant pressure for both sexes to strive to be this ideal image. But more recently, people have become aware of how detrimental this ideal image can be for the progression of individuals and societies as a whole. It can cause harm to health, physically and mentally, and is plain unrealistic for many people. With each day, I feel like, individualism is being encouraged more as we become further aware of how important it is to be ourselves and make our own contributions to better our societies.

The gender health gap has been greatly reduced in recent years, but activists are still working for equality. Factors other than gender important to note for the health gap include age, socioeconomic factors, and race. In respect to health treatments, men and women have been treated differently in the past. With a traditionally paternalistic relationship with doctors, it may have been hard for women to speak up and address what help they really need. Birth control and other contraceptives were not always legal; only married women whose husbands approved could take birth control pills until 1972. When abortion, an ongoing, heated topic and conversation today, was illegal, it was the cause of more deaths than actually birthing the child.

In the past, women were often overlooked for many research studies, unless the topic directly or only applied to them. As man and wife, rape was legal, and men could objectify females in the workplace by sexually harassing them physically or firing them for not invalid actions such as not having sex with the man. Times are changing, however, as present day researchers and doctors have realized that women are in fact not “little men.” Women function differently but deserve equal opportunity and access to what they may need.

Research collected by the New York Times states that men have a lower life expectancy with higher rates of injuries, suicides, and death from chronic illness. It is also identified that a man’s pride may get in the way of a yearly check up or visit to a doctor. Gender transformative interventions promote lifestyles that steer away from gender-norms. These interventions endorse equal health care and treatment, blind to sex and gender.

Reflective tag: The differences between men and women should not lead to a health gap of inequality and unfair treatment. It is good that this has been brought to everyone’s attention and that there is constantly work being done to improve and close the gap. It is important for women as well as men to realize the importance of their health and seek the help they need when it’s needed. Timeliness is key, being both the doctors’ and patients’ responsibility.

Gender binary refers to two distinct, separate sexes (male and female) and the specific expectations and stereotypes of the two. Examples of going outside gender binaries range from a female ordering a beer and a burger (rather than a sweet, mixed drink and a salad) or being attracted to members of the same sex. Today’s societies norms for genders are constantly being expanded, as people have realized how constraining they have become.

Individuals who identify as neither man nor woman identify as third gender.  Native American societies, India, and Thailand, among many others, will recognize the third gender on forms of identification. India’s ancient transgender community of Hijra formally identify as neither male nor female. Often, these individuals have lived a life of neglect and hardship before becoming a Hijra. An estimate of two million Hijra live in India today. Hijra, or the transgender society, are viewed highly and are associated with the gods and deities of the culture. A newly wedded couple, as well as babies and small children, come to Hijra for advice and blessings.

Many neglect and abuse the third gender. As a result of not being accepted by friends and family, many transgender individuals have been kicked out of their households and have turned to lives of sex trade and prostitution.

Reflective Tag: The third gender is real, and it’s unfortunate that people choose to ignore them, and in turn for those who are not accepted by society for simply identify with who they truly feel they are.